The Dangers of Drunk Driving

On behalf of Kyle Law Firm on Friday, May 23, 2014.

Even with all the laws, warnings, and programs being rolled out by different information bodies when it comes to the dangers of drunk driving, many still choose to ignore it and become mobile risks to everyone out in the road. In the country, vehicular accidents are the major cause of deaths for individuals under the age of 24. And among these deaths, almost half are caused by alcohol.

According to studies, a driver with who has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 or higher is likely to be involved in a fatal accident 7 times more than a non-intoxicated driver. If the levels reach 0.15 or higher, the chances blow up to 25 times. Hence the more you drink, the more you are likely to be in an accident.

The legal limit across the country is at 0.08. For a 60-kg woman, this translates to about 2 drinks, and 4 for an 80-kg man. A drink is defined as a shot of liquor, a bottle of beer, or a 5 ounce glass of wine. Let us take a look at how blood alcohol concentration levels (BAC) can impair a driver slowly.

At 0.02 BAC level

According to experiments, drivers with this BAC level can experience a loss of judgment, and feel more relaxed and calm. However, this also shows a decline in vision and consequently, their ability to focus on a moving object and assess its distance. Furthermore, the driver may lose the ability to perform two tasks at once.

While this still seems to be far from the legal limit of 0.08 and the effects are not as drastic to the driver, it could still spell a difference in an emergency situation in which the driver is unable to make critical and correct decisions that could end up being disastrous.

At 0.05 BAC level

At this point, the driver may experience exaggerated feelings and behavior, and even lose some muscle control - including the ability to quickly focus their eyes on an object. They are also likely to have impaired judgment, feel less inhibited and have lowered levels of alertness.

At 0.08 BAC level

Now at the borderline of legal intoxication, the driver has poor muscle control and coordination - which affects their sense of balance, vision, reaction time, hearing and speech. Also, it may be more difficult for them to sense danger, and have low self-control, reasoning and even memory. Their concentration levels are also low and they will be unable to judge the speed of their vehicle as well as those around them.

Apart from the BAC levels, it should also be noted that individuals respond to alcohol differently. A person with a low tolerance to alcohol, and has a BAC level of 0.02 may still perform poorer compared to a high-tolerance drinker with a BAC of 0.08. Nevertheless, drinking and driving are two things that should never be done together.

If you have been a victim of drunk driving or have a loved one who has, and have suffered its effects through injuries that could have been avoided, contact the Kyle Law Firm for guidance on how to file your claim.

Contact Our Firm Now

PhonePlease enter a valid phone number. You may use 0-9, spaces and the ( ) - + characters.

Brief description of your legal issue

Please verify that you have read the disclaimer.I have read the
disclaimer.disclaimer.

The use of the Internet or this form for communication with the firm or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form.